Congress calls for KBK bandh on July 2

Bhubaneswar: Targeting the ruling BJD on a host of issues, the Odisha Congress has called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh in the undivided Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput (KBK) districts on July 2.

Addressing the media herer today, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Prasad Harichandan said that the party will hit the streets in the KBK region on July 2 and hold demonstrations against the State government’s all-round failure. But the deteriorating law and order situation in the State will be the major focus of its protest he said.

“Our leader Pradeep Majhi has been arrested on charges of attacking the forest range officer of Raighar and ransacking his office during a rally at Raighar in Nabrangpur district a few days back. But I want to clarify that the tribal leader was demanding land patta for the tribals under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Can anybody tell me what wrong has he done? Is fighting for the rights of tribals a crime?” he asked.

“This government is completely anti-tribal and it wants autocracy in Odisha,” he stated.

Congress activists said various issues, including Oscar chit fund scam, political patronage of Motilal Gouda and actor-politician Tattwa Prakash Satpathy aka Papu Pom Pom’s alleged involvement in a sexual harassment case, will be raised during the demonstration.